You've seen how El Niño and
La Niña affect the nearby hydrosphere and atmosphere.
These interactions also have an impact on Earth's other
spheres, particularly the biosphere.

Can we blame El Niño for wild weather? Some "wild" weather occurs even during normal phases, so we can't blame El Niño and La Niña for all of it. It's obvious, however, that many extreme weather events are related to the changing conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

We are beginning to understand the
widespread effects of these events. A bigger question
that scientists are working to answer is "What are the
underlying causes of the El Niño and La Niña
events themselves?"

! Click the links below to learn more about the impacts of El Niño and La Niña events.

13. Describe an El Niño- or La Niña-related impact, and explain how El Niño or La Niña is thought to have caused this impact.